Cyber security awareness and education support for home and hybrid workers
Publication Date
July 27, 2026
Creator
Alotaibi, Fayez
University of Nottingham
Abstract
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been noticed that there has been an increase in cybersecurity awareness risks caused by home and work. Some surveys found that most remote workers presented aspects of bad security behaviour during the pandemic, making their organisations vulnerable to cyber-attacks. To increase the employees' cybersecurity awareness, the organisations need to understand and enhance the security support they provide their employees at their locations.
This research employs a mixed-method approach to investigate the current state of the art in the aforementioned situation. First, it reviews current studies, reports and guidelines on the scope of cybersecurity awareness for hybrid workers to identify the cybersecurity concerns, awareness methods and comprehensiveness of the available guidelines released by commercial organisations and official bodies. Second, investigates the extent to which organisations provide support to employees in different work environments (e.g., workplace, home, and remote locations) by understanding the convergence of views between the organisations and their employees. To achieve that, this study developed two surveys, one for employers and one for employees. Third, reviews of the current key elements that were used or recommended to inform the design of the diagnostic framework.
The above steps inform the direction and methodology of this research, highlighting the cybersecurity risks faced by hybrid workers within the organisation and preparing to develop a solution to raise their cybersecurity awareness. An important outcome of this research is the design and development of a novel cybersecurity framework that helps organisations to determine their employees’ security needs based on their locations. The framework was validated by cybersecurity experts who work with industries. Initial findings indicate that the framework is capable of supporting organisations' security support for their employees across three locations.
This study aims to help organisations overcome cybersecurity risks associated with hybrid workers by identifying their security needs based on their location. Ultimately, identify the security vulnerabilities in their existing cybersecurity support.
Item Type
ethesis
Thesis Type
PhD
Supervisors
University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
Subjects (LC)
Associated Schools / Departments
UoN Repository URI
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